Angular pillow



Patented Feb. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The invention relates to a device for supporting the upper portion of aperson while in a face downward, or ventral decubtus position and theinvention will be referred to sometimes herein- 5 after as a combinedpillow .and chest supporter.

It has been appreciated, particularly by the medical profession, thatthere are many advantages in lying or sleeping face downwardly. It isrecalled that in cases of extreme exhaustion, the exhausted personinstinctively lies on his face and little children likewise take thisposition while sleeping. In this position the nose is able to drainitself and in the event of vomiting or milk regurgitation the chances ofsuifocation are minimized. In this position the circulation is aided asthe weight of the viscera on the large vessels of the abdomen isrelieved and in general all of the organs return to their naturalimplacement with certain noticeable results, among which may bementioned the fact that the feet become warm and there 'is a resultingsound, uninterrupted sleep. While these advantages have beenappreciated, difculty has been made in providing a form of pillow orrather head and body support which will permit free access of air to themouth and nose of the person while in such ventral decubitus position.Certain cumbersome and complicated body rests have heretofore beensuggested and which include transverse air channels between the foreheadand the chest supporting parts of a bed mattress and into which channelthe face of the user protrudes. These suggested constructionsnecessitate a new form of mattress which among other reasons are notpractical because of the expense involved in constructing them and theycan not be turned or adjusted to the requirements of the user as are thepresent forms of pillows.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a simplified,inexpensive pillow-like device which can be shifted about as presentforms of pillows in general use can be adjusted from time to time whilein use; which can be used as such pillows are now used while sleeping onthe back or on either side and which additionally can be utilized whenthe user is in the ventral decubitus position to provide not only a headrest but also a shoulder support and at the same time to permit a freesupply of air for breathing to the user while sleeping face downwardly.

Broadly, the invention is attained by providing a cushioning supportresembling a conventional pillow except that it is angled, that is of anL- shaped or V-shaped form, or which when intended to be used by twopersons may be of a double or T-shaped form.

While the device is intended to be marketed commercially in a limitednumber of sizes, as for instance in three standard sizes, one foradults, one for adolescents and one for small children, it is preferablethat the device be custom-made for the individual who intends to use it,and when so made is dimensioned to correspond at least roughly tocertain skeleton dimensions of the users head and upper portion of thebody.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in partobvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawing and in part willbe more fully set forth in the following parf ticular description of oneform of device embodying the invention, and the invention also consistsin certain new and novel features of construction and combination ofparts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view of a sleeping deviceconstituting a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig, 3 is an explanatory plan view looking from the underside upwardlyof the device of Fig. 1 shown in its relation to the skeleton outline ofthe user with the head and left shoulder supported while the user is ina ventral decubitus position; and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a modied form of theinvention as if taken along the vertical plane indicated by the line 4 4of Fig. 1.

Referring iirst to the showing in Fig. 1, there is disclosed a one-piececushioning device I0, angular or L-shaped when in plan and formed of twoidentical sections ll and l2 each of substantially pillow length andpreferably of less length than the conventional form of bed pillows nowin general use. The sections extend from each other at substantially 90,and in the illustrated embodiment of the invention extend approximatelyat so that the preferred form is more of a V than an L. when consideredin plan.

Sections ll and l2 are of equal length and are elliptical in crosssection as shown in Fig. 2. It will be understood that the constructionmay be elliptical, circular or any othel` form commonly found in pillowsof conventional design and which construction will be referred tosometime hereinafter as a conic form in cross section. Except for the vor L-shaped conguration and the dimensions herein featured, the deviceis intended to represent in its construction any known form of pillowand thus is of greater softness than a mattress or furniture cushion.Like conventional forms of pillows it includes a jacket or container I3with conventional form of' stuffing material l5'. and is intended to becontained in a removable pillow case as is usual with conventional formsof pillows.

Referring to the skeleton outline shown in Fig. 3, the bridge of theInose of the user is shown at a, the rst rib at b, the acromial joint atc, the supra-sternal notch at d, the forehead at c, the nose at f, themouth at g and the chin at h.

Each section II and I2, has a length along ij at least equal to thedistance from the bridge of the nose and the rst rib b; has a width lc-Zequal substantially to the distance between the acromial-clavicularjoint c and the supra-sternal notch d. Sections lI and I2 provide aV-shaped opening I5 in the angle therebetween to receive the nose f,mouth g and chin h of the user disposed as noted in Fig. 3 in the crotchof the angle while the forehead e is supported on top of the angledportion of the device, that is at the juncture of the sections II andI2. In this construction it will be noted that the breathing space l5 isexposed on one side that is, this space is wide open to theenvironmental atmospheric air to permit free breathing by the user whilein the ventral decubitus position illustrated in Fig. 3. Making theangled opening sharply pointed as shown at I6 permits a large portion ofthe jaw to be supported by the underlapping section El or I2 and this,incidentally brings the mouth and nose up close to the foreheadsupporting section and this in turn tends to increase the open airclearance space to the outside air.

While the device as illustrated in Fig. 3 is supporting the left side ofthe face, it is understood that the device may be turned over about theaxis i--y' to support the right side of the face and may be reversedabout a perpendicular axis with the same side uppermost so that, forinstance, section II may be utilized to support the upper portion of thechest rather than section l2 as in the position illustrated. It is alsopossible to utilize the device as conventional pillows are utilized whenlying on the side cr back by turning the shoulder supporting sectionupwardly or outwardly away from the body thus utilizing one or both ofthe sections on one or the other side of the external angle I'I. It isalso possible when the user is lying on the back to locate the crotch I6in back of the neck with the ends of the sections II and I2 overlappingthe shoulders of the user and thus provide a neck rest. These are simplyalternative uses to which the device may be placed but it is primarilydesigned to promote restful sleep when the user is in a ventraldecubitus position.

In the modied form of the invention suggested in Fig. 4, one section l2is gradually reduced in depth from a mid-length portion towards the endof the shoulder supporting portion thereby to provide a support for theshoulder and which support will not be quite so high as the foreheadsupporting portion at the crotch and thus will accommodate itself morereadily to the contour of the users shoulder than the sections ofuniform depth suggested in the above description of Fig. l.

It is obviously within the scope of the disclosure to so reduce thedepth of the outer ends of both sections but even where this modifiedform of structure is utilized it is preferable to leave one of thesections of uniform depth from end to end so that the section of uniformdepth may be utilized as is a conventional pillow.

Another form of the invention disclosed herein is illustrated in myapplication Serial No. 124,383 led February 6, 1937.

While there have been shown, described and pointed out in the annexedclaims, certain novel features of the invention, it will be understoodthat various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form anddetails of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made bythose skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

I claim:

l. A sleeping device constituting a combined pillow and chest supporterfor use while the user is in a ventral decubitus position, said pillowbeing angled shaped when considered in plan and comprises two sectionsof substantially equal width and length and extending approximately atright angles to each other, each section being a conic section intransverse cross section and each section having a length at least equalto the distance between the bridge of the users nose and the first riband having a width substantially equal to the distance between thesuprasternal notch and the acromial-clavicular joint.

2. A sleeping device constituting a combined pillow and chest supporterfor use by a person when in a ventral decubitus position, said devicecomprising two similar sections extending substantially at right anglesto each other and each of substantially pillow length, the top part ofthe device adjacent the angle providing a support for the forehead ofthe user and each section having a length suiicient to extend only fromthe forehead to the shoulder of the user and having a widthsubstantially equal to the distance between the supra-sternal notch andthe acromial clavicular joint.

3. A pillow having a relatively fiat upper and lower side each designedfor supporting the upper portion of a person while in a ventraldecubitus position, comprising a one-piece cushioning device including arelatively high support for the users forehead and a relatively lowsupport for at least one of the users shoulders, said supports being ofsubstantially the same conguration in plan and of substantially fiatelliptical form in cross section, extending sharply at an angle t0 eachother and providing therebetween a sharply pointed V-opening fashionedto receive the nose, mouth and chin of the user in the crotch 0f theangle while the forehead and one shoulder of the user is supported insuch ventral decubitus position elevated off the support on which thepillow and the balance of the person rests.

RAFAEL GONZLEZ-RINCONES.

CERTIFICATE OE CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,lh9,lll0. v February 28, 1959.

RAFAEL GONZLEZR1NCONES.

It is hereby Certified that error appears in the above numbered patentrequiring correction as follows: In the drawing, lower left-hand" cornerthereof, strike out the notation "See Wilson IQOOLL'ZL; )i5-55W; andthat the said Letters Patent should be read with v this correctiontherein that the same may conform to the reoord of the oase in thePatent Office.

signed and Sealed this 21stV day of November, A. D. 1959.

Henry Van Arsdale,

(Seal) Acting; Commissioner lof Patents.

